Annandale author helps children cope with mental health challenges

Wysocki

As a teacher and parent, Annandale resident Sarah Wysocki knows how difficult it can be for children to deal with such issues as fear, social anxiety, and negative relationships. The COVID pandemic certainly hasn’t made life easier for kids – or anyone. 

To help families cope, Wysocki has written and self-published four books about these issues that are meant to be tools to open up conservations between school-age kids and teachers, social workers, and parents. 

Nervous Ned is aimed at children consumed by fears and irrational thoughts. The title character’s worries keep him up at night and hold him back from things he really wants to do – until a friend helps him understand that much of what he fears will never happen. 

In Amelia and the Volcano, a girl learns how to cope with her mother’s explosive outbursts, depicted in the story as a “volcano.”  

“That’s not a fun topic to read about, but unfortunately, it’s something a lot of kids experience,” Wysocki says. “Books have the power to open up these conversations and make things accessible to kids they wouldn’t otherwise be.” 

Wysocki has two more books coming out soon. 

Emma and her Big Bad Mistakes is about a perfectionist who learns that everyone makes mistakes. When she realizes her mom is a terrible cook and her dad has trouble speaking English, she understands you can learn from your mistakes. A boy who feels he has to maintain a rigid routine learns change can be good in Max’s Terrible Mixed-up Day. 

Wysocki’s experiences as a teacher at an Arlington public school, Girl Scout leader, and creator of an afterschool program focused on mindfulness have shown her that “kids are not as mentally robust as they once were.” That was true even before the pandemic, but “the pandemic has exacerbated some of those issues.”

Her books are meant to be read aloud to spark conversations about mental health issues that might be difficult to talk about. She believes too many times, kids’ problems are dealt with through medication. “They all don’t need medication. They need coping skills.”